Picker-arm.



F. J. BRIGGS.

PIUKBB ARM.

APPLICATION FILED mum, 1910.

Patented May 23, 1911.

A TTORN E Y8 FRANK J". BRIGGS, OF GLENCOE, OKLAHOMA.

PIGKER-ARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911,

Application filed. June 2, 1910. Serial No. 564,584.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK J. BRIGGS, a citizen of the United States, andresident of Glencoe, in the county of Payne and State of Oklahoma, havemade certain new and useful Improvements in Picker-Arms, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in picker arms for use with cottonharvesting devices, and it consists in the combinations, constructionsand arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide an arm having a series ofmovable pins which may be projected outwardly to engage the cotton, saidpins being adapted to be withdrawn into the interior of the arm so thatthe cotton may be forced off from the arm.

A further object of my invention is to provide a device in which thepart of the arm upon which the cotton is gathered may be withdrawn intoa sleeve, thereby freeing the cotton from the arm.

A further object of my invention is to provide a pair of links, whichmay be in serted in sprocket chains, said pair of links bearing thesleeve and its telescopic arm.

A further object of my invention is to provide simple means for causingthe projection or retraction of the pins from, or into, the portion ofthe arm upon which the cotton is gathered.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specificationand the novel features of this device will be particularly pointed outin the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part ofthis application in which similar reference characters denote like partsin the several views,

' and in which,

Figure 1 is a plan view, showing one embodiment of my invention, Fig. 2is an enlarged view, showing the central section through the device,Fig. 3 is an enlarged section along the line 33 of Fig. 2, with the linkmembers removed for sake of clearness, Fig. 4 is a section along theline ll of Fig. 2 showing the pins in their retracted positions, Fig. 5is a section along the line 4.4L of Fig. 2 showing the pins in theirextended positions, Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the inner rod, andFig. 7 is a section along the line 77 of Fig. 2, Fig. 8 is a section onthe line 88 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 9 is a section on the line 99 of Fig. 2.

My invention is designed to be used with a cotton picker or harvestersuch as that disclosed in my prior application, Serial Number 487,608,filed April 3, 1909. In the aforesaid application I disclosed a pickerarm, which is adapted to be rotated by means of a roller on the end ofthe movable part, and means is also provided for causing the retractionof the arm into the sleeve to force the cotton off from the arm.

The present invention has for its object an improvement over thatdisclosed in said application.

This improvement consists in the provision of pins for more positivelyengaging the cotton so as to insure the complete picking of the same inthe passage of the machine over the cotton plants.

In carrying out my invention, I provide two links A and B. These linksare provided with their respective tongues a and b on one side, and theloops a and b on the opposite side. The link A is provided with ahousing, such as that shown in Fig. 2. This housing consists of a bodyportion a, having a central circular opening a therethrough and a largerthreaded recess a to receive the threaded end of a sleeve 0. The link 13comprises a similar body portion 1), having a central opening I), and alarger threaded recess adapted to receive the opposite threaded end ofthe sleeve C. In order to keep the sleeve C from rotating in thethreaded recesses a and I), I provide the respective set screws 0, and bWVithin the sleeve 0 is a spring D, which bears at one end on a head E,which is secured by means of the set screw 6 to a rod F. A portion ofthis rod is cylindrical. One end of the rod passes through the linkmember A, and the other end passes through the link member B. Secured tothe outside of the link member B is a U-shaped bearing member Gr,through which the rod F also passes. The link B has a cylindricalportion I), which is in alinement with a eylindricalportion g of thebearing member G. A roller H is mount ed on the bearing portions 6 andg. This roller has a reduced portion h, which engages the rod F loosely,so as to permit the rod to slide through the roller. The rod, however,is flattened on its opposite sides where it slides through the roller,as shown in Fig. 7, at f, so that when the roller n; is rotated the rodF is also rotated with it.;

On the end of the rod F is a cone-shaped contact member K whose purposewill be explained hereinafter.

The construction of the opposite end of the rod F is best shown in Fig.6. From this figure, it will be seen that the rod is provided with aseries of longitudinal grooves f spaced ninety degrees apart, and with'a series of transverse grooves f also spaced ninety degrees apart, andin staggered relation along the rod. Wires M are secured in thelongitudinal grooves 7. On the outside of the rod F is a sleeve P, whichis secured to the rod by means of a pin Q (see Fig. 3). On the outsideof the sleeve P is an outer sleeve or tube W. At the point where the pinQ passes through the rod F and through the sleeve P the tube IV isslotted, as shown at 'w in Fig. 3.- The end of the tube V is closed by acap X.

The link member A is provided with a cap a7, which is secured to thebody portion a by means of a screw a suitable packing a being interposedbetween the cap and the body portion, as shown in Fig. 2.

In Figs. 4 and 5 it will be seen that I have provided a series of pinsY, which are pivotally mounted on the wires M in the slots f These pinspass through arc-shaped slots 29 in the sleeve P and also throughinclined openings to in the outer tube W.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, theoperation thereof may be readily understood. In practice a series ofarms such as I have described will be carried on a pair of chains bymeans of links (not shown) which are adapted to hook into the links Aand B. The roller H is a friction roller and is adapted to engage atrack T, located on the main body of the machine. cause the revolutionof the rod F. From Fig. 3, it will be seen that the rod may rotateindependently of the outer tube W, until the pinQ engages the end of theslot 40. It will'do this, provided there is any external friction on thetube which is the case when the tube is passing through the cottonplants. The rotation of the rod F relatively to the tube W will causethe projection of the pins from the positions shown in Fig. 4 to thatshown in Fig. 5. Now as the rod is further rotated the tube W and thepins Y will be carried around. The pins will tend to pull the cottonfrom the bolls, and wind it around' the tube W. Now, if the rod F isrotated in the opposite direction, the pins Y will be withdrawn Therotation of the roller H will into the arm, leaving the cottonclingingto the smooth exterior of the tube W. At this point of the operation acam member (not shown) engages the disk K and forces the rod'in thedirection indicated by the arrow in Fig. 2, thus pulling the tube Wwithin the sleeve C and forcing the cotton ofi from the end of the tube,into the proper recep ta-cle. As soon as the disk K has cleared the cam,the spring D will force the tube W outwardly again into its initialposition.

The shape of the track T, which engages the roller and of the cam whichengages the disk K, forms no part of the present inven tion. It isobvious that the arm as described may work with various shaped tracks orcams.

I claim:

1. In a picker arm, a sleeve, bearing links secured to said sleeve ateach end thereof, a rod rotatably carried by one of said bearing linksand provided at one end with a cam roller, and a perforated tuberotatably mounted on the opposite end of said rod, said rod and tubebeing arranged to slide within the sleeve, a portion of said tube beingsupported-by the other of said bearing links.

2. In a picker arm, a sleeve, bearing links secured to said sleeve ateach end thereof, each of said bearing links being provided with a loopand a hook, a rod rotatably carried by one of said bearing links andprovided at one end with a cam roller, a per forated tube rotatablymounted on the opposite end of said rod, said rod and tube beingarranged to slide within the sleeve, a portion of said tube beingsupported by the other of said bearing links, and a roller car ried byone of said bearing links, said roller being splined to said rod. 7

3. In a picker arm, a pair of links, a sleeve secured to said links, arod disposed within said sleeve, a friction roller carried by one ofsaid links and splined to the rod, a cam member carried by the end ofthe rod, 21 series of pins pivotally mounted on the opposite end of therod, a sleeve carried by the rod and provided with slots for thereception of the pins, and a perforated tube disposed outside of thesleeve, said pins being adapted to extend through, the perforations insaid outer tube when the roller is turning in one direction and to bewithdrawn into said tube when the roller is rotated in the oppositedirection.

FRANK J. BRIGGS.

l/Vitnesses: Y

TERRY MARLIN, WILLIs MARLIN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

